General What's On Your Mind? Advice, And Help!

[Zuidy]

Hello everyone!

(Feel free to close this thread if it really isn't necessary.)

I thought that it may be a good idea to have a thread where for anybody who needs help over minor problems, or just wants to have fun and say what they are thinking about, so I made this!

I am hoping it will succeed, but everyone feel free to make your own threads, the idea isn't to drag all of you here. I just thought a general discussion, as many other forums have, may be nice here.

On my mind:

1: Abbies have weird, touchy personalities. Mine does, anyway! lol

2: First home-grown Wheat grass haul-- 3 handfuls downed by Piggies and counting!

3: Hot..... soo hot....... water bottles cold, CHECK! Frozen bottle in cage, CHECK! Purifier running, CHECK! Window open, CHECK!

4: Big Sis' chewing on bar of her cage...... I want to turn around and tell her it is annoying me, but......SOO CUTE!!!! :silly:

__

So, Guinea Pigs Cages forum.......

WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

 

[Wildcavy]

1 -- one Abby is weird and touchy. Two Abbies are a summit of popcorning fiends!lol (Grace, it turns out, is not at all shy!)

2 -- I am biting my virtual nails waiting for the next shipment of KMS hay. Should arrive tomorrow. Did not time the shipment right and have been feeding the piggies Oxbow the past three days. HOw is it that I have gone in the past year from being unaware of piggies as pets to feeling guilty over not having KMS third cut timothy on hand? :melodrama

3 -- on a more serious note, I am quietly driving myself crazy thinking about the local shelter having to put down most of their animals, including 15 piggies. I've reached out to friends and rescues in the community, but I know it isn't going to be enough. :weepy:

 

[RodentCuddles]

My girl piggy must have like a red gene in her because her ears get red, her feet are red (she has fleece) and she has like orange-brown nails on her front feet! Is that normal?

 

[Zuidy]

My girl piggy must have like a red gene in her because her ears get red, her feet are red (she has fleece) and she has like orange-brown nails on her front feet! Is that normal?

How often do you spot clean? Fully clean? What is your Hay quality like?

I don't think ears are a problem, I think the nails could just be discoloring from stepping in something, but feet is sometimes them getting irritated from fleece.

 

[RodentCuddles]

How often do you spot clean? Fully clean? What is your Hay quality like?

I don't think ears are a problem, I think the nails could just be discoloring from stepping in something, but feet is sometimes them getting irritated from fleece.

I spot clean twice a day, fully clean either twice or once a week, hay is really bad haven't been able to find any good hay in nz!
But she has always had red feet?

 

[Zuidy]

I wouldn't worry about it then. My pigs tend to get Red feet for no reason, but you seem to be doing what you can. You could look into (broken link removed) for better Hay though.



As for me:

What is the easiest way to weigh my Piggies? I have a digital kitchen scale that works great, but it doesn't have a bowl or anything. I have been flipping a hidey from their cage and setting them in it, then pushing the Tare button, but it is getting too small for them now and it moves too much. What else could I use?

 

[Wildcavy]

My tricolor, Triton, has a red-haired leg, and the nails on that leg are yellowish-red, with some brown.

For the ears and feet -- do you mean reddish like a reddish color in the skin, or reddish like irritation?

 

[madelineelaine]

you could try putting them on a plate?

 

[RodentCuddles]

My tricolor, Triton, has a red-haired leg, and the nails on that leg are yellowish-red, with some brown.

For the ears and feet -- do you mean reddish like a reddish color in the skin, or reddish like irritation?

How can I tell the difference?

 

[Zuidy]

you could try putting them on a plate?

I would need something that would be harder for them to get out of. With walls. I just really don't have any ideas other than a bowl, but how could I keep it still?

 

[kananaka]

I wouldn't worry about it then. My pigs tend to get Red feet for no reason, but you seem to be doing what you can. You could look into (broken link removed) for better Hay though.



As for me:

What is the easiest way to weigh my Piggies? I have a digital kitchen scale that works great, but it doesn't have a bowl or anything. I have been flipping a hidey from their cage and setting them in it, then pushing the Tare button, but it is getting too small for them now and it moves too much. What else could I use?

In New Zealand they can not get KMS or even OxBow, and most of the hay grown locally is Alfalfa.

 

[Zuidy]

In New Zealand they can not get KMS or even OxBow, and most of the hay grown locally is Alfalfa.

Oh, THAT New Zealand.

There is a place called New Zealand fairly close to me. lol

 

[Zuidy]

How can I tell the difference?

I think that she means like hot Red, like a Mosquito bite that you keep scratching.

The skin Red would be closer to Pink.

 

[BlueButterfly]

I wouldn't worry about it then. My pigs tend to get Red feet for no reason, but you seem to be doing what you can. You could look into (broken link removed) for better Hay though.



As for me:

What is the easiest way to weigh my Piggies? I have a digital kitchen scale that works great, but it doesn't have a bowl or anything. I have been flipping a hidey from their cage and setting them in it, then pushing the Tare button, but it is getting too small for them now and it moves too much. What else could I use?

I line a box with a hand towel and use that. The box I use was a failed hidey I tried to make, so it has a little doorway in the front of it that helps with putting them in and taking them out.

I'm going to expand the boys' cage, so Snickers is currently doing floor time in the bath room. I set him up a little area that's made out of three grids with a towel draped over them, with his water bottle and pellets in it, and a towel. I'm disappointed though, because last floor time he was the only one who ran around, but now he's just huddling. I guess I'll have to break out the veggies! No advice needed, just wanted to talk.

 

[Zuidy]

I line a box with a hand towel and use that. The box I use was a failed hidey I tried to make, so it has a little doorway in the front of it that helps with putting them in and taking them out.

I'm going to expand the boys' cage, so Snickers is currently doing floor time in the bath room. I set him up a little area that's made out of three grids with a towel draped over them, with his water bottle and pellets in it, and a towel. I'm disappointed though, because last floor time he was the only one who ran around, but now he's just huddling. I guess I'll have to break out the veggies! No advice needed, just wanted to talk.

Would it be OK for me to tape the box to the scale so the weight doesn't shift, or do you think it will really matter?

 

[BlueButterfly]

I don't think it really matters, I've never had trouble with weight shifting before. But then again, my pigs freeze up when I weigh them. If you have fidgety pigs taping it is probably a good idea.

 

[Zuidy]

I don't think it really matters, I've never had trouble with weight shifting before. But then again, my pigs freeze up when I weigh them. If you have fidgety pigs taping it is probably a good idea.

Thanks! I'll test it out tonight and begin my journal.

How long does it take for hair loss in relation to Mites begin to clear up after 3 treatments with Ivermectin? Like when will I begin to see the V-Shape fill in?

 

[Jacksthemouse]

Question,

What does everyone use to weigh their guinea pigs? Do the bathroom scales suffice (if you can keep the piggy still)?

 

[mufasa]

It's best to have a small scale that weighs in grams, although I make do with a digital postal scale that weighs in ounces.

 

[bpatters]

No, a bathroom scale isn't nearly accurate enough. You need a kitchen scale that goes up to about 5 pounds, weighs in both ounces and grams, and has a safe bowl or platform that the pigs can't fall out of. They're available at places like Target, Walmart, and (sometimes) thrift stores.